Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 233 Chaos
Granny Tong never expected that among her subordinates, who were so well-behaved that they were more obedient than stray dogs, there would be one who dared to rebel openly!
Before he could even feel angry, his left palm, which was about to strike Murong Fu's head, suddenly turned upwards, unleashing a fierce palm wind that shattered the incoming finger force, the remaining force striking the attacker directly.

With a single wave of his hand, the old woman's palm strike suddenly reversed.

The old woman was greatly surprised and exclaimed "Eh!" but she was not flustered. She released Murong Fu with her right hand, took the force of her own palm, and then reached out to grab Murong Fu with her left hand.

Just then, the person arrived in front of her, and with a flick of his toe, he pulled and deflected her. The old woman's left hand tilted and grabbed her right hand.

Murong Fu was also pushed back more than ten feet. At the same time, a wisp of internal energy rushed into his body, and he woke up with a tremor. He heard the man shout, "Run!"

Murong Fu got up and ran away, which enraged Tong Lao.

For her, the momentary carelessness in grabbing his hand was nothing short of a great humiliation.

He shouted sternly, "Where are you going!"

She struck at Murong Fu with all her might, but the newcomer deflected her palm, redirecting the force towards the women of Lingjiu Palace.

The women of Lingjiu Palace were shocked. Four or five of them took the lead and struck with their palms in unison.

But the old woman's palm strike was so powerful it seemed she could smash Murong Fu into a pulp. The force was astonishing, and the women, who had to hastily meet the attack, were immediately sent flying backward, coughing up blood.

The old woman snarled, "The stars shift! Everyone, get out of the way!"

Jiang Mingzhe looked closely and, sure enough, the one who saved Murong Fu was none other than his elder brother Yan Longyuan, who had passed on the Great Vajra Pestle to him—the identity of Murong Bo after his fake death!
I don't know how this guy managed to sneak into the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands Formation.

Then, Tong Lao leaped forward, her iron arms like Astro Boy's, and pounced on Yan Longyuan, punching, kicking, stabbing, and striking. The exquisite techniques and powerful force of her moves were so impressive that even Xiao Feng and Kumārajīva were amazed.

Seeing Murong Fu fleeing in panic, the experts from the caves and islands on both sides were determined to strike while he was down and leaped out to intercept him.

Murong Fu clutched his chest and struggled to dodge, but Jiang Mingzhe flashed forward and swung his hands left and right, using the Corpse Poison technique. The You brothers flew out like boulders, and seven or eight people on each side tried to stop them. The force was so great that the two You brothers were turned into mud.

These people didn't fare well either; in the blink of an eye, their faces darkened, they rolled over, convulsed a few times, and that was the end of their business.

Everyone else stopped, but Jiang Mingzhe refused to give up. He used the Chuiyun Sword Technique, and the Seven Child Swords in his hand shot out colorful light. In just three moves, he killed seven experts, all of whom were island lords and cave masters with unique skills.

Xuanci saw an opportunity and shouted, "Shaolin disciples, subdue demons and protect the righteous path! We must not let the demons harm Senior Tianshan Tonglao!"

Having said that, he led the charge and roared, "Shameless bald monk, even if the Heavenly King himself came this time, I would kill you first!"

Xuan Ci's words were meant to please Tianshan Tonglao and, incidentally, put her on a pedestal.

However, Granny Tong was capricious and frowned, saying angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting, little monk? Who can hurt me? You keep an eye on those beggars for me. If they dare to be that bitch Li Qiushui's lackeys, none of them will live!"

The Beggars' Sect elders were about to lead their men out to fight when they heard these words, and their scalps tingled with fear.

Xuan Ci was also dumbfounded. He didn't even know who Li Qiushui was. But then a thought suddenly came to his mind: So this old woman came to my Shaolin Temple originally to cause trouble for the Beggars' Sect?
Jiang Mingzhe also realized that Tong Lao originally came from the Beggars' Sect, but unfortunately saw him using the Xiaoyao Sect's kung fu. She thought he was Ding Chunqiu and Li Qiushui's man, and therefore got angry.

He quickly exclaimed, "Senior Uncle, please don't misunderstand. The Lingbo Weibu is a book from the Murong family's collection, and it's even an incomplete copy. As for the Centipede Claw, Senior Brother Su had someone find out about it so I could practice it to better understand my enemy. Not only the Centipede Claw, but I also know the Toad Fist and the Crimson Palm!"

Granny Tong frowned and said, "Don't try to fool me. If you want me to believe you, kill a few beggars as a pledge of loyalty!"

Without hesitation, Jiang Mingzhe leaped up, turned around, and pointed his sword at the enemy. A beam of white light shot out seven zhang, catching Elder Chen off guard and killing him instantly.

Lu Zhang and his companions were furious, but faced with such unprecedented methods, they could only suppress their rage. Seeing this, Yan Longyuan immediately shouted, "Can killing beggars be a pledge of loyalty? Then I'll kill a hundred and see!"

The old woman fought him swiftly, exchanging twenty or thirty blows, and was unwilling to let him go.

He sneered, "If you want to pledge your loyalty, you'll have to kill yourself."

Previously, Tong Lao had been careless and had her palm strikes and grappling techniques repeatedly turned back by him. Now that he was truly enraged, it was futile for him to turn her attacks back.

However, Yan Longyuan's skills were far superior to Murong Fu's. Even if he couldn't return the attack to Murong Fu, he could easily redirect it elsewhere. He used the "Star Shift" technique to protect himself and the "Combined Finger" technique to attack his enemies. His fingers whistled and cut through the air, making him no less formidable than Tong Lao in terms of skill.

However, the experts from the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands were all forcibly subdued by the Child Granny, and they were extremely greedy for life.

Seeing that Jiang Mingzhe's divine sword was invincible, no one was willing to die. One of them, wielding a green-glowing ghost-headed saber, seized the opportunity to shout: "So this young master is the Venerable Master's nephew. How can we offend him? Brothers, follow me to kill the beggar!"

These demons and monsters were all seasoned veterans of the martial arts world. A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer; they immediately shouted, "Boss Wu is right! Let's go kill Hua Zi!"

Master Lü and Bai Shijing were nearly driven to their deaths with anger. The Beggars' Sect, once renowned as the number one sect in the world, was now being trampled on by everyone.

Bai Shijing shouted sternly, "Brothers, set up the dog-beating formation and fight them to the death!"

Murong Fu broke the formation very quickly, and the Beggar Clan disciples suffered relatively few casualties. Now, he re-established the formation and fought fiercely with his subordinates from Lingjiu Palace. Many of the martial arts heroes invited by the Beggar Clan also joined the battle, and for a time, they gained the upper hand.

The old woman was displeased and ordered Jiang Mingzhe, "Nephew, go over there and help kill all the beggars. I'll reward you handsomely!"

Jiang Mingzhe thought this deal was too good to pass up! Just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly heard someone shout, "Grandmaster Uncle, don't be fooled by him! Our master has never inquired about Ding Chunqiu's special skills, and our grandmaster has never taken on any new disciples. This little devil is in cahoots with Ding Chunqiu and Grandmaster Uncle Li!"

Tong Lao and Jiang Mingzhe looked over at the same time and saw nine men and women of varying heights standing at the foot of the wall. They had entered the temple at some point. Some of them were carrying zithers, some were carrying chessboards, and some had their faces painted in five colors. Their attire was quite different.

Looking at the group, there were eight men and one woman, all of whom were quite old. There was also a young girl, whom Jiang Mingzhe recognized as Abi.

The old woman didn't recognize Abi, but she recognized the other eight people, who were Su Xinghe's eight beloved disciples who had been expelled from his sect. They were collectively known as the Eight Friends of Hangu Pass.

In particular, Xue Muhua, nicknamed "Enemy of the King of Hell," once came to her Lingjiu Palace with a letter from Su Xinghe, wanting to learn medical skills. She blamed Su Xinghe for not protecting Wuyazi back then, and out of hatred, she drove Xue Muhua off Piaomiao Peak.

The one who just said that Tong Lao was fooled and that Jiang Mingzhe was not Wu Yazi's disciple was Xue Muhua.

Abi glanced around and saw Murong Fu standing beside Xiao Feng, clutching his chest, his face ashen. She paled and quickly pulled Xue Muhua, saying, "Uncle Xue, please save someone for me, okay?"

Xue Muhua followed her gaze, glanced at the scene from afar, and shook his head, saying, "Niece, don't be anxious. That boy's injuries aren't serious. It's more important to expose this little devil's lies first."

He clasped his hands in a fist salute to the old woman and said, “Grandmaster, we eight have been investigating the whereabouts of that devil Ding Chunqiu ever since we were expelled by our master. Recently, one of his disciples has made a great name for himself and has become a retainer of the Dali Duan family. This little devil is Jiang Mingzhe. The Seven Child Sword in the little devil’s hand was hidden in Wuliang Mountain by our master and was not given to anyone. I don’t know how he got it. I suppose he must have received guidance from Grandmaster Li.”

Knowing that these eight people were loyal to their sect, the old woman had no doubts and glared at Jiang Mingzhe, saying, "You dare to lie to me!"

Yan Longyuan had seen Jiang Mingzhe long ago, but knowing that he was cunning and that his lies must have a purpose, he pretended not to recognize him.

Seeing that he had been exposed, he seized the opportunity to shout, "Can't you fool me? Come on, little brother, let's work together to deal with this old hag!"

Upon hearing this, the Eight Friends of Hangu immediately rushed out to stop Jiang Mingzhe, shouting, "Grandmaster Uncle, rest assured to face the enemy; we will deal with the little devil!"

(End of this chapter)